Thursday, November 6th, 2014

The Buffalo Bills have had, by virtually all accounts, a successful first half of their 2014 season. At 5-3, currently good a four-way tie for sixth place in the AFC, they are right in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot.

To some, Buffalo’s first-half success is a surprise; to others, it’s a realization of promise that had gone unfulfilled in past seasons. There’s still a second half of the season in which the Bills can either keep winning and end the NFL’s longest postseason drought, or falter as they hit tough games down the stretch.

Either way, the Bills as a whole and many of the individuals on their team deserve praise for how they have played so far. While some Bills need to be better in the second half of the year, others have played integral role in the team’s relative success through eight games.

Prior to training camp, when the Bills had 90 players on their roster and many of them were fighting for a place on the team, we ranked the team from top to bottom. Now that we’re at the midpoint of the Bills season, it’s time to look at how the current 53-man roster stacks up, reclassifying players based upon how they’ve performed so far and how crucial they will be to the team’s second-half results.

Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

The Buffalo Bills are right in the thick of the AFC playoff race, currently sitting in a four-way tie for sixth place with a record of 5-3. The defense has really carried the team while the offense has been opportunistic enough to contribute to the winning record.

Overall through eight games, many defensive players have graded out very well while the offensive players have been more boom or bust in terms of individual performances.

Sitting at three wins and five losses at the midpoint of the season, the overall numbers might not seem to be working in the favor of the Buffalo Bills, yet it seems clear the Bills are generally moving in the right direction. Of the team’s five losses, three of them were by seven points or less — including two on game-winning field goals — and one, against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, came when undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel was the only option to finish the game at quarterback after EJ Manuel suffered an LCL sprain that has kept him out ever since.

The new coaching staff led by Doug Marrone, and general manager Doug Whaley, have acquitted themselves well. Even with a losing record, there is more reason for optimism with the Bills than there has in the past. But, as I learned in history class: if you don’t study your past, you’re destined to repeat it, which means it’s time to look back at the Bills’ first half and see what mistakes they can learn from to make positive progress.

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

The Buffalo Bills have reached the midpoint of their season and have a 3-5 record. The record itself is somewhat deceiving of their season to date, as the Bills have given every team they have played a competitive game.

Part of the credit for Buffalo’s competitiveness belongs to the team’s coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The Bills defense has kept the team in many games thanks to the pressure Pettine has dialed up, which has led to sacks and turnovers.

On the other side of the story, Buffalo is starting to close the gap on other teams when it comes to talent. The Bills have added talented players to their roster via the draft and free agency in the past two seasons, while they still have some returning veteran talent including defensive tackle Kyle Williams and running back Fred Jackson, who are the hearts and souls of the defense and offense, respectively. For the first time in years, the Bills seem to have many talented players on both sides of the ball.

Four of the best and four of the worst players on the Bills through the first half of the season are detailed below, as determined in part by each player’s cumulative grades for the season from Pro Football Focus (a subscription is required to access their grades database). Grades are based upon a scale where zero is considered to be average, and players earn positive or negative points based upon their success in completing their assignments or impacting the play on individual plays.